'The message has to go out to all young people: you don’t need to look for a job, you need to create a job.'MEERA MOHANTY | ET Bureau | January 28, 2016, 07:40 IST

Sam Pitroda, who spent his childhood in a remote corner of Odisha before initiating India’s telecom revolution under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, is now technical advisor to Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government. He is busy charting out technology-enhanced development of the minerals-rich state.

In an interview to ET’s in Bhubaneshwar, Pitroda speaks on a range of issues including the National Herald case, Facebook’s Free Basics and the Narendra Modi government’s Startup India action plan. Edited excerpts:

You are in favour of net neutrality. What do you think of Facebook’s campaign to allow it offer its Free Basics programme?

Access to Internet is different from providing Internet. To provide basic internet connectivity you need fibre, you need spectrum, you need infrastructure… You cannot come and give a software package and say now I am providing Internet to everybody. It is not true!

Most people have no idea of what they are talking about (when they root for Free Basics). They have no clue, you cannot argue with them because then they’ll ask you ten dumb questions.

What do you think of the Narendra Modi government’s announcements for startups?

Even the paanwala is a startup. When we talk of startups today, we are unconsciously thinking of high-tech startups - mobile applications, software, satellite and e-commerce.

Fine. But at the end of the day we need to create more jobs. The message has to go out to all young people: you don’t need to look for a job, you need to create a job.

Do you think Modi is doing that successfully?

It is too early (to say).

What about the Rs 10,000 crore ‘fund of funds’ for startups?

We need big funding. A Rs 5,000-crore fund was recommended by the National Innovation Council (which Pitroda quit as chairman in June, 2014 after the BJP came to power). We spent two years setting up the fund. It is well documented. We just couldn’t do it in time.

Do you feel, your close association with the Congress and the Gandhi family is drawing you into controversies, or political vendettas, such as the National Herald (newspaper) case?

Of course. On the National Herald case, I am on the board (of the company). I can’t walk away from my moral responsibility, but I know we haven’t done anything wrong; it is all bogus.

In the process if someone wants to harass you and say you are corrupt and should be put in jail, it is ok… Everything has been done according to the law. Land is on lease, not owned by anyone except the government. It cannot be sold or transferred, it still belongs to the same company.

Ownership changed, right?

It doesn’t make any difference, it’s basically the same board. It’s like my being on the board of Central university of Rajasthan (of which he is chancellor).

It doesn’t mean the university land belongs to me. It’s a just a dumb thing to do — call somebody illiterate, call somebody names. You don’t do that in a civilised society.

What is the future of Congress?

It is for the Congress to answer that. Look, a 130-year-old party cannot be written off. It has had its ups and downs. In a democracy, it’s a good thing to happen.

Odisha is pushing for non-mineral based growth. Do you think it would work on its strength?

Minerals is always Odisha’s strength; you cannot write that off. But we need to start creating jobs in agriculture, and invest in technology for food processing.

There is lot more to technology than software. We are focused on using IT to improve governance, improve productivity in services, health, education, agriculture, enhance tourism... For example, we are looking at how quickly we can provide telemedicine in all 30 districts, connecting them to the best doctors so that people in rural areas feel they have access to healthcare.

The key is connectivity. We do not have good connectivity in Odisha. I want to first focus on connectivity. Can we really lay fibres to panchayats, create Wi-Fi cities, (and) connect our colleges, universities, schools and hospitals? Those are simple things to do and will make a huge difference.